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Date: 09-07-2023
Case Style:
Case Number: 4:22-cr-01664
Judge: John C. Hinderraker
Court: United States District Court for the District of Arizona (Pima County)
Plaintiff's Attorney: United States Attorney’s Office in Tucson
Defendant's Attorney: Douglas Francis
Description: Tucson, Arizona criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with wire fraud.
Patrick Green, 48, of Longview, Texas, was the final co-conspirator to be sentenced in this case. Jonathan Blake, 30, of Tucson, Arizona, and Bethany Helene Green, 46, of Longview, Texas, also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in this case. In early August, Judge Hinderaker sentenced Blake to six months in prison, and sentenced Bethany Green to 37 months in prison. All three co-defendants are responsible for, and ordered to pay, $226,146 in restitution.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, to offset employees’ lost wages, the federal government added $600 per week in federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) to the states’ standard unemployment payments. In May 2020, shortly after this government relief was announced, Bethany Green devised a fraudulent scheme to apply for Arizona unemployment assistance and the additional PUA funds on behalf of inmates at the Pima County Jail who were not entitled to receive unemployment payments. Bethany Green conspired with inmates at the jail, including her husband, Patrick Green, and another inmate, Jonathan Blake, to apply for benefits on their behalf. Patrick Green and Jonathan Blake also recruited other inmates to the scheme. A total of 16 inmates provided their personal identifying information which Bethany Green then used online to fraudulently apply and obtain unemployment benefits for the inmates. Bethany Green charged the inmates a fee, typically $1,000, to complete the online unemployment applications. Bethany Green then charged the inmates an additional weekly fee of $100 to file the weekly certifications necessary to continue the unemployment payments. In total, Bethany Green and her co-conspirators defrauded the Arizona Department of Economic Security of $226,146 in false unemployment claims.
United States Department of Labor-Office of Inspector General, Department of Homeland Security-Office of Inspector General, and Arizona Department of Economic Security-Office of Inspector General conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Sue Feldmeier, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. 349
"Any person who attempts or conspires to commit any offense under this chapter shall be subject to the same penalties as those prescribed for the offense, the commission of which was the object of the attempt or conspiracy."
Outcome: Defendant was committed to the custody of the Bureau of Prisons for a term of FOURTEEN (14) MONTHS, with credit for time served. Upon release from imprisonment, the defendant shall be placed on supervised release for a term of THIRTY-SIX (36) MONTHS. Special
Plaintiff's Experts:
Defendant's Experts:
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